Fifth set of handy Albanian words

 

Some more handy word for you to look up and memorize

FAMILY - familja English - Albanian 

this - kjo

this is  - kjo është (you can copy the e with the accent from a word in Wikipediat and add it to all the words in the list which need an e with an accent)

my husband - burri im (notice that my comes after the word it describes, noun then adjective, like the French phrase moulin rouge, red windmill, and Spanish casa mia, my house)

my wife - gruaja imi

My child - femija im

my grandchild - nipi im

baby - bebe

Albanian English

Familja - family

Property and Travel - Prona dhe Udhëtimi

my passport - pasaporta ime

my reservation - reservimin tim

my ticket - bileta ime

my destination - destinacioni im

my suitcase - valixhem time (like the French word valise)

my plane - avioni im (like the French par avion)

my bus - autobusi im

.....................

Useful Websites

Duolingo

translate Google

Wikipedia

Wikitravel phrasebook

Preview of Changi Airport's New Terminal: Jewel Changi Complex Which Opens April 17

Singapore flag.

Changi airport, the gateway to Singapore wins many awards. A new terminal Jewel opens in 2019 on April 17. The previous week the public are allowed a preview, until April 16.

The public are invited to apply, from March 12, to visit the new terminal for the preview. Tickets are free but slots are timed.

Useful Websites
singaporeair.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Changi_Airport

jewelpreview.com

How do you get there? It is next to Terminal 1 and will be linked by walkways to the other terminals 2 and 3.


Attractions
The giant waterfall is the centrepiece.

Airport Hotel
Yotel

Food
Dozens of places, some with view of waterfall. New companies not previously in Singapore.

Shopping
Old Favourites
New To Singapore

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Tickets to Buy and What You See At Gardens By The Bay

You can approach Gardens By The Bay from two directions. Either 

1 take a taxi or cab to the main entrance on Marina Bay Drive entrance and walk past the three tall Golden Garden artificial trees, 

2 Arrive or leave walking via Bayfront MRT stations.

If you buy tickets online shop around. We bought tickets for the two big attractions, the flower garden and the giant waterfall walk. 

A third attraction is the Skywalk between the giant metal trees. Our combined ticket did not include the third attraction, which cost an addition $8 per person.

View of landmark Marina Bay Sands triple towers with infinity pool for hotel residents on the rooftop.

USEFUL WEBSITES & INFORMATION

www.gardensbythebay.com.sg

Gardens By The Bay

18 Marina Gardens Drive

Singapore 018953

What It Costs To Promote A Meeting on Meetup

Problem
My two Toastmasters Clubs in London get lots of new members, average 2 or more, sometimes 4-6, each of the two monthly meetings. My Singapore club is considering it. But what toes it cost?

Answer
In September 2018 I looked at the Meetup website and found I was offered:

Basic membership for 6 months cost US $9.00 a month. If you have two meetings a month, that's US$4.50 per month.  If you were to advertise more events, it becomes more profitable.

What does basic mean? A limit of 50 members and 4 organizers.  I presume that's 54 in total. That's plenty for a small club of about 20 members which wants to expand.

Fifty members doesn't mean 50 paid up members of your club. I presume it's 50 people on Meetup who signed up to be notified of your meetings. Some of those are phantom members who will never turn up.

I joined a sewing and crafts group meeting in Wembley in London. I never went. It was too far and inconvenient times and days.

If you have two sister organizations you might be able to link them on a mutual Meetup group and share costs. For example, two Toastmasters clubs of the same name, such as the English speaking club and the Mandarin-speaking club which meet at the same venue on different days.

Another option is for a one-off payment of US$14.99 a month, perhaps for one event such as A Christmas party at a restaurant.

You need a treasurer who is on top of cancellations, because as with any monthly payment, if you are inclined to forget, you might end up paying for years for something you no longer need.

If you find it successful, no such problem. You are assured that they will roll over the payment.

If you want to organize a free meeting, instead or in addition you can use Peatix, a company which started in Asia.

In the UK Toastmasters meetings are often booked through Eventbrite. If you are not charging, why bother to issure tickets?

a) At a large event such as a conference in an auditiorium with a popular sepaker you might be sold out. Because of fire regulations you are not allowed to have people sitting on the stairs and standing in the aisles and in front of the fire exit doors. To avoid early arrivals grabbing the seats and latecomers being turned away, the first ones to book are given tickets. Others go on a waiting list.

b) The organizers may want to know the numbers in order to cater with enough food and drink or cups for water, or chairs, or to switch to a larger or smaller room according to the numbers.

c) At the other extreme, if nobody books for an event, because it is not popular, too last minute, or people are away on holiday, you might wish to postpone your New Year, Easter, Valentine's, or Summer BBQ until a week later, or postpone your so-called Christmas party until after Christmas.

If you want to pay, the Meetup system was accepting WePay.

Useful Websites
https://www.meetup.com
peatix.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts with your family and friends and colleagues.

How To Learn Malay From Government Leaflets In Singapore

Problem
I often pick up a government leaflet in Singapore and find half of it is in Malay. Is this a waste of my time?

Answer
No. After I have read the English, I have a chance to learn some words of Malay, which they call Bahasa (language) Malay Language. Presumably as opposed to Malay race or nationality.

I can immediately recognize several often repeated words, plus one of two which are similar to the English.

Malay - English
air - water
anda you/your
bar - bar
besar - bazaar
dan - and
Gratis - free
Ingrisjalan - road or street
jalan -street
jalan jalan - walk about, journey, Stroll
Juni - June

Kartu - card
krim - cream
lokal - local
makan - food
Mei - May
orang - person / adult
restoran - restaurant
Tarif - tarif / fare /price
tiket - ticket
tradisional - traditional

Useful Websites
LANGUAGES
amazon - books including phrasebooks and dictionaries from Berlitz, Lonely Planet and others.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=malay+language
This is the UK website. You may find different books and prices and postage on
Amazon.com
Duolingo - free language courses and discussion forums
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/20796214/Malay-Basics-1
Duolingo also have tinycards. These flashcards reverse when you click and then ask you to select from three multiple choice answers.
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/Seft5g/malay?lesson=1

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-malaysian/one_1

TRAVEL

visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)
visit-malaysia.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Teacher of English and other languages. Home tutor and workshop leader. Contact me if you or your college or business would like lessons.

ITALIAN WORDS which you need at a chocolate exhibition

La Dolce Vita Italian Caffe in Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

Problem
What does the Italian sign say? I look around in a caffe (notice double f in Italian, single f in French).
On the internet I read about the chocolate exhibition in Perugia every year in October and read the signs in the photos. I look back at photos I took in Perugia. What do those signs in the caffe and chocolate shop say?

Answers

Italian - English
(Spaces inserted when spell checker insists on changing)
biglietto - ticket
carta - card or map
c i o c o l a t o - chocolate
contatti - contacts (the letter i at the end of the word is plural)
dolce - sweet
esposizione - exhibition
guida - guide
informazioni - information
la - the
meglio - better
ottobre - october
partire - leave
prodotti - products
pronto /pronti - ready
rubriche - headline
sconti - discounts
selezione - selection
ti - you
tutta - all
vita - life

English - Italian
all  - tutta
better - meglio
Chocolate - c i o c o l a t o
contacts - contatti
discounts - s c o n t i (I had to insert spaces. Spell checker replaced the Italian with scent.)
exhibition - esposizione
guide - guida
information - informazioni
leave - p a r t i r e
life - vita
Map - Carta geografica
October - Ottobre
ready - pronto
selection - selezione
ticket - biglietto
you - ti

If you want an easy to remember phrase to say to an Italian, just smile, hold up your chocolate or point to it and say, "La Dolce Vita!"

For a description of chocolate events at Perugia, UK and elsewhere, see previous posts. Chocolate events are held in: Rome and Sicily.

Useful Websites
www.duolingo.com
www.umbria.it
www.visititaly.it
http://www.eurochocolate.com/news
https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb
www.ryanair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, language teacher.

Update on Dax Festival With Bull Fighting, Food, Free Concerts

Map from
http://freecountrymaps.com/map/towns/france/26691402/

Problems
1 What happens at the Dax festival?
2 What about the bull fight? Would I enjoy Dax, Bayonne and Biarritz even if I don't want to attend a bull fight?

Answers
1 MUSIC, SINGING AND DANCE
Yes, it's like a whole town costume party with everybody dressed in red and white. Bands come from all over Europe. There's singing, dancing and parades in the street. Finishing with fireworks.

2 BULL FIGHTING
It's worthwhile reading a researching about bull fighting. I now know the difference between a picador and a matador and a toreador. If I am indifferent to bull fights, or against bull fighting, or fearful and don't like blood, it's good to know about them without the travel, financial cost and guilt of actually attending.

I haven't attended a bull fight recently (not since I was taken as a teenager on a trip to Spain years ago). But I have just watched several videos and close up photos.

Research
I have spent several hours talking to and interviewing my nearest and dearest about Dax and bull fighting and music. I checked up on the internet on the technicalities. By the time I plan my next trip I shall have forgotten. So I need this post for my own records. What is useful to me, could also be useful to you.

Whilst watching the videos I tried to identify the music played during the opening ceremony for the bullfight from an ap on my phone. No luck. Next research will be the national anthems, popular songs, songs played at bull fights*, checking the music credits, if any, on the souvenir programme, plus national flags flown above the bull ring.

Memory Corner
My late parents had a flat in Marbella in Spain.  We once drove across France literally with a kitchen sink from Wickes for them. We also drove to Portugal, staying at French chateaux hotel, Spanish Paradores, and Portuguese Pousadas.

How To Get To Biarritz, Bayonne and Dax
On previous trips we have driven many times through France to Spain.

Driving through France, we stopped to see Biarritz. We clearly remember a stay a night at the Palace hotel. (When we were all in full time employment. Those were the days!)

On this trip the route was budget Ryan Air to Biarritz, then picked up by car from a British friend who lives in the area.

The Dax festival season is also British and French school holidays, so the Hotels in Dax are booked up and high prices, like 200 Euros for a bedroom. You can stay in a gîte or guest house out in the countryside if you have a car.

Fly on a cheap airline to Biarritz, a chic little place with a casino and grand Palace hotel.

Alternatively, as part of a grand tour starting at Paris, take the train to Dax and Bayonne.

What's in Bayonne? It is a city with a grand cathedral and with hotels, about an hour away. You will find it useful to have a car.

Getting Around Dax
Within Dax you have a shuttle bus known in French as a navette (think of the English word navigate). It may be about a Euro. Where do you get the ticket - on the bus or before? "I don't know. I walked!" The walk from the car park to the Arena with the bull fight takes about ten minutes.

Tips
To identify music from a holiday video:
Ap: Sound Hound

*See later post on the festival music.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have more posts on the sights and sounds in Dax. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Packing tips for all occasion

The trick is to have a checklist. Most frequent travellers know they need a neck pillow. But if you have more suitcases than neck pillows you might still go off without yours. The same goes for packing any medication. Keep a checklist.


Checklist of essentials
Four wheel suitcase
Suitcase label and key and coloured label or ribbon for identifying black suitcase
Passport
Tickets
Addresses of people at destination.
Insurance.
Safe pocket for valuables.
Quick release shoes for security.
Small duplicate underwear and socks in case of lost luggage.
Small handy swimsuit and cap.
Conditioner.
Phrase book/dictionary.
Pen and paper.
Reading material.
Phone which is economical at destination.
badge for conference
pills
prescription for ordering spare or replacement spectacles and sunglasses
Evening scarf or cravat

Know-how
Route to hotel.
Method of transport to hotel.
Money for taxi and tip at both ends of journey.
Travel cards for both ends of journey.
Trip details left with family or friends at home.
Emergency details at destination. (eg nearest friend, police station, hospital, number to dial in emergency)
Packing list printed inside suitcase for re-packing at destination
Tin of sardines or similar for emergency in-flight delay or arriving late at night.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3215352/The-ultimate-guide-surviving-long-haul-flight.html